PF self sabotage
Just when you thought the don’t kubeba government had exhausted all of its chaos in its arsenal; it comes up with something even more bizarre than previously thought. It seems in all probability that the PF government has an irresistible penchant for self-sabotage. And the events of this week when they fired nurses go to confirm this. The firing of nurses is quite odd to say the least. Dismissal letters stated that the Public Service Commission, following directives from the President, has fired them for participating in an illegal strike. This is strange because the Public Service Commission does not function at the mercy of the president. In fact, the president is not the supervisor of public workers. The president does not hire and neither can he fire public workers in his own name. The Supreme Court of Zambia settled and checked the president’s role in such matters in at least two cases involving a teacher (Kang’ombe) and a soldier (Miyanda). As such, the fact that President Sata allowed his name to be included in those dismissal letters goes to show the chaotic ethic behind the firing of these nurses. But this should be expected, the don’t kubeba government is one of the most disordered governments we have ever had in recent history. And by their fruits we have known them.
Zambia already have severe shortage of nurses
It is quite absurd that while President Sata and his don’t kubeba government have increased their salaries four times since assuming office, they have found it rather insulting that the nurses should equally demand some form of reparations. What this PF government should have done is to show sympathy towards all public workers by showing that they are equally committed to the same sacrifices that the public workers are being subjected to.
[pullquote]You can’t run a modern government based on promises and more unfulfilled promises[/pullquote]
The firing is also improper due to the impact it has on the public service itself. Zambia runs a severe shortage of health care workers. We have about 0.7 nurses per 1000 of the population. If this is not a crisis, I do not know then what else would define one. With these numbers it is prudent that the State exercises both wisdom and diplomacy in the way they attend to sensitive professionals such as nurses. As mentioned above, had the government shown some restraint, I have no doubt that the nurses would have gone back to work as negotiations continue. What we need from this government is not how many nurses it is going to fire, but rather how many nurses it is going to hire. And at the rate we are going, we could as well wake up one day with all the nurses gone. It does seem that this government only cares for the stomachs of politicians, and does not care for the health workers in our country. And when you have no plan on the table for good leadership, the words “you are fired”, become the easiest thing you default to.
A Government created crisis
This government created the crisis among the health workers, and it has to be this government to resolve it. The nurses are demanding, simply, that the government pays them what is already due to them. This government promised and it has failed to deliver. But that is not the primary problem. We are all human and to err is human. But instead of meeting this with humility, the Michael Sata government has refused to accept responsibility for these misapprehensions and has instead resorted to threats and more threats for the men and women in white.
This firing is also surprising in the sense that just a few weeks ago, it was the President himself who was threatening KCM with unexplained sanctions if they fired even a “single miner”. And yet today, the same president has caused to be written, on his behalf, over 300 dismissal letters to helpless nurses. I think if this government truly believes in employment for citizens, it is bizarre that with one tongue it would be fighting for miners, and yet with another go ruthlessly against the nurses for demanding that which was promised them.
Perhaps the don’t kubeba government need reminding that they should stop making empty promises. You can’t run a modern government based on promises and more unfulfilled promises. Do not promise all this stuff you keep singing about. Making all these outlandish promises is good, only for a week. When the time to fulfill the promises comes, you get to be labeled a liar. But instead of heeding to this advise, I know what this PF government will do. It will even promise more stuff that it cannot deliver.
Currently, the president is all over the place promising the building of new universities, new tuntembas and new roads. I have even lost count of just how many so-called link fimo fimo roads President Sata has been “commissioning.” But the question is, “does he have the cash to do all this”? Of course he doesn’t, and the shylocks from New York will soon realize our economic folly and the little kaloba we keep borrowing might dry up as well.
A need for level headed leadership
In moments like this, we need level headed leadership. Level headed in the sense that the leadership will be able to tell the truth. But more than that, these times demand a leadership that can show some restraint and sacrifice. As mentioned above, it is not good that the president and his cabinet would always find the money to increase their salaries and yet they go mute when it comes to delivering their salary promises to the nurses.
Our nation has seen the difficult conditions under which nurses are working. The nurse to people ratio is just too high. This is unacceptable. As such, the nurses should be in our thoughts and prayers. To demand that this government does the right thing should not land nurses in trouble. As a people we have to exert the necessary pressure on this government so that those fired among nurses are reinstated. Reinstating is just the right thing to do. In the meantime, the nurses’ fight for better conditions of service is a noble fight and the whole country should rally behind them.
In the meantime, when the chosen few in the PF government fall sick, they runaway to South Africa to seek medical help. There in South Africa they pay heftily to have South African nurses take care of them. And when they are lucky to return alive, they return with vengeance, not to hire more nurses, but fire even more. Absurd it is, but it is definitely not surprising. This is the don’t kubeba way of doing things.
by Munshya wa Munshya
source:Elias Munshya wa Munshya Culture, Politics, Law & Theology
Spot on Munshya only retards will despise you
indeed spot on munshya
PF sponsored chaps will insult you soon. Good piece of analysis.
Terrible one sided theoretical article once again by the author
Just wasted 4 minutes of my life reading it, which I will never get back
Thanks
Mr Munshya,the apparent critical shortage of nurses and other medical personnel, save for medical doctors is a mirage.We are all deceived because the health burden is manifesting itself at Ministry of Health in form of ques & drugs shortages,when if-fact the epi-center of health problems in Zambia is the Ministry of Local Government.All health centers health information data indicate that the highest causes of morbidity and mortality are illnesses that could be classified as falling under Primary health care.i.e,diarrheal diseases,malaria,skin & STIs:diseases that an individual/family has control over to prevent,and enforcement of Public Health Laws(local Government)
Disease in Zambia is a result of the collapse of councils to enforce Bye-laws,to stop people from living in, & eating…
garbage. Capacitate and allow councils to strictly enforece byr-laws without political interference and you will certainly witness a drastic decline in the disease burden on nursing and indiscipline
In my view,it is local authorities and their employees who need serious attention than nurses.
Reflect on this.Your blog is misdirected.
I forgot to emphasize that all, or most of the diseases under primary health care are contagious and thus have a multiplier effect.The more reason why it is vital to begin to shift attention from Cure(in health facilities) to prevention(at community level).Enforcement of the current Public Health Act should be enough to arrest our filthy lives.
Munshya wa Munshya, thank you for this, people seem to have forgotten that the nurses were promised huge salaries before the elections. And they believed what they were told and voted in Sata. So it is very strange that Sata through Dr Kasonde would be firing the same people who put them in power.
Without the nurses and other several disappointed voters, Sata and most of ministers would have been without jobs.
Munshya uli walupato! Waba icipato! Viva PF
VIVA PF! kill them! Let them die from hunger…That is why the govt is there to punish its own children… Good leadership. Please do not forgive anyone because forgiveness is for weak governments……That is the spirit and GOD will bless you for not forgiving…….
THIS ARTICLE IS BIASED. BUT TO PUT THE RECORD RIGHT: KCM WORKERS DID NOT GO ON STRIKE, BUT MANAGEMENT WANTED TO REDUCE LABOUR, THAT IS A VERY DIFFERENT STORY WITH NURSES WHO WENT ON AN ILLEGAL STRIKE. THE NURSES SHOULD NOT EVEN BLAME THEIR UNION LEADERS BECAUSE THEY WERE WARNED.
Boss the K50 you gave me with Mufwinya shinganannani has finished.Send more money it looks like we are now outnumbered.
Excellent artical.
Sata does not care at all. He has never listened to any one’s advice. He probably even forced himself on his …
Though I do not agree with PF -GRZ firing nurses who went on an illegal strike, I as well dont support the insipid behaviour of the nurses.
Look here guys, immediately the PF-GRZ started operating , medical staffs(Docs, Nurses etc ) were award larger salaries than any other civil servants…..and the other civil servants kept quiet. This time around, GRZ increased salaries and allowances of all civil servants, nurses were not happy and demanded that them be given more than other civil servants….the question is, whom do nurses think they are? Are they more educated than other civil servants?
The other point is that within the 2 years of PF-GRZ all civil servants have their salaries almost doubled, ask the nurses what they are getting now and what they used to get under RB.
having a shortage of nurses does not mean that they should do things the way they feel. ur facts ar biased. can u tel us how much nurses hv received as increament from the time pf come into power. u politician incited them, can u jst employ them.
Crowns like you are the ones destroying our country
I strongly feel UPND incited these nurses to strike. The question is; was it right for the nurses to strike? The fact that everyone agrees to is that the strike was illegal. What are the wages of engaging in illegalities? You get punished. I will ask the author and his supporters what kind of a country they are going to run if ever they come into power? We are going to steal, kill and destroy and they are not going to punish us all in the name of caring for citizens? Guys just employ the fired nurses because you have made them lose employment. UPND please stop hurting you are just going to make more and more mistakes. Opportunism in politics is not the way to go. There is no way your “president’ can go and chat with the nurses on the loans of UTH when people are dying in the wards.
THERE IS NO POLITICAL PARTY IN WHERE THE WORLD WHICH DELIVERS 100% ON ALL ITS ELECTION PROMISES OTHERWISE GUANTANAMO BAY SHOULD HAVE CLOSED BY NOW OR USA TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN SHOULD HAVE LEFT THAT COUNTRY DURING PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FIRST TERM IN OFFICE.
I WISH HH, RB AND THE OPPOSITION IN GENERAL COULD COME TO TERMS WITH ELECTIONEERING.
IN FACT THEY SHOULD BRACE THEMSELVES FOR EVEN MORE PROMISES IN THE NEXT ELECTION.
ITS PROMISES WHICH IN A WAY ARE NOTHING BUT DECLARATIONS THAT SOMETHING WILL BE DONE, WHICH MAKE LIFE MORE INTERESTING.
WITHOUT A PROMISE OF PARADISE THERE WILL BE NO CHRISTIANITY.
Munshya..you are right..the dont kubeba kaya..bad theory!!
Africans /Zambians we are so relaxed that we see wrong things as normal. Surely queuing at hospitals and sleeping on floors and dying every minute ( atleast 30 deaths at UTH everyday) is not normal in a normal society. Just as we have believed that nshima is the only great food at lunch and dinner so is the same for certain abnormal happenings in the country. Surely see how many relatives we are losing because of very short silly illnesses largely caused by our poor medical system (which we can not see because it is normal in our eyes). And so the story goes on, we see it normal for dismissing nurses.
Do not be deluded, even politicians in the USA who are revered and respected here in Africa do make some promises that are beyond their power to fulfill. Didn’t Obama promise to close the Guantanamo Bay?
Nurses are being unreasonable. Public sector salaries are derived from taxes on the private sector. With all- round employment taxes reduced, every working individual has obtained a reduced tax, however insignificant to some. These tax decreases are sufficient. If your pay is really low nurses, please forfeit your jobs.
Guantanamo closure has no direct effect on the livelyhood of Americans so please do not mix water with oil here. The promises made by MCS affect our daily lives such as more money in our pockets.
Nursing care is 24/7 issue.An health nation has better productivity.Solution is not to fire those that strike.These nurses will simply trek to the south or wherever this service is appreciated.PF as a government, they are more physical than interllectual. Amaka yali chila amano.
It’s irresponsible to think South Africa would desire Zambian nurses. Perhaps when there is a flood and volunteers are needed. Socialism must end in Zambia and it starts by eradicating individuals requesting luxurious sums of money for basic pay. Pay rises must be performance based!
Munshya, I have just read the first paragraph of your article and I would like to point out that you are wrong to say the president has nothing to do with the public service commission. For your information, all public service workers are appointed by the president through the public service commission, they just act on his behalf.
Munshya Commissions are appointed by who? Have you been a civil servant before? Civil servants perform duties on behalf of the President who is the CEO of the Country. You are wrong to say Commission can not be instructed to fire. They are appointed by the President and they can be fired.
Nurses while we can sympathise with them for being fired, they went overboard letting people die and they were just watching. It is like a Police Officer watching someone stealing without acting. Nurses knew the consequences and have leaped what they sowed.
Only time will tell when 2016 comes. Maybe PF will do another u-turn and fulfill there promises!
Anything is possible
#OneZambia